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Obituary for Charles E. Brown
Charles Edward Brown, 59, Garnet Valley, PA passed away at his home on Saturday, March 27, 2021, surrounded by his wife and family. He was born on April 6, 1961 in Philadelphia, PA and is the son of Marie Brown and Rev. Gilbert Clark.
After graduating from Yeadon High School in 1979, Charles received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University in 1983. He worked for over 37 years designing, maintaining, and operating nuclear, fossil, and hydro-electric power plants. He maintained his Professional Engineering licensure throughout his career.
Over 40 years ago he met his sweetheart, Yvette Miller, at an engineering career fair. He offered to drive her home, but after walking to the car, discovered it had been stolen. They joked about his “phantom Nova” for years. Ever since, it has been a relationship as sweet as pi (3.14159 for the math nerds). They were married in 1986 and together had one daughter, Adrienne (Washington), who is the delight of their lives.
Charles developed a love of sports at an early age. He spent his summers at Oscar Robinson’s and Walt Frazier’s basketball camps, which propelled him to play both basketball and football throughout his high school years. Widely known as “Bear,” he dominated in sports but also modeled excellent sportsmanship, earning respect from his teammates and opponents both on and off the field.
Growing up watching baseball games at Connie Mack Stadium and Wrigley Field, Charles’ dream was to visit marquee stadiums before they were replaced. He and Yvette set out to experience a game in every Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium. With Adrienne in tow, they completed their quest and expanded the bucket list of stadiums to include the Arizona Cactus and Florida Grapefruit League spring training venues. After crisscrossing the US and Canada, they embarked on a parallel journey to attend a football game in each National Football League (NFL) stadium. No matter who was playing, Charles donned in his vintage Reggie White Eagles jersey. The family traveled to over 20 NFL stadiums, including a trip to Wembley Stadium in London to watch the Philadelphia Eagles play during their 2017-18 Super Bowl Champion season.
Charles fostered his love of sports with his daughter, Adrienne, teaching her how to professionally score individual plays during baseball games, bonding with her over SportsRadio 94.1 WIP, and supporting her internships with MLB and several NFL teams. Charles was thrilled that Adrienne has carried on their love of sports, as she currently pursues her Juris Doctor and Master of Science in Sports Management at the University of Florida.
When Adrienne was younger, Charles would take his “Kiddo” to the batting cages on weekends during softball season. It was their favorite time of year. He encouraged Adrienne to bat in the cages with the higher speed pitches, even if it was unlikely she would see pitches as fast in games. It was there when Charles taught Adrienne, “Never be afraid of what is coming at you. Develop a routine to approach your fear and you’ll make it through.” Outside of the softball season, they would play tennis or have a catch at a park. Cherishing those outings, it sparked the pair to watch professional games on television at home through the years.
A former Boy Scout, Charles was known as a kind and gentle soul at home, within his community, and at work. He was attentive to things that were special or sentimental to others, and would routinely send an article or a special note to a friend reminding them of things they used to do, places they used to go, or things that brought them joy and laughter. He would prepare for special events, anniversaries and holidays well in advance, as evidenced by his wife finding her Valentine’s day card and gift weeks after he had been hospitalized. This final gift will always be treasured.
Charles had a quiet and thoughtful personality. Because of this, like EF Hutton, when he spoke, people listened. He would often drop a quip or jab creating raucous laughter with his coworkers – he continued working as if he had said nothing.
Little known fact — as a young boy, Charles, never known as Charlie Brown, was bitten by a dog named Snoopy while on his paper route. After that, it took him years to adopt the family’s first pet, a cat named Butterscotch that he used to take for walks.
Charles is survived by his wife of 34 years, Yvette Brown, daughter Adrienne Washington and son-in-law Brenton Washington; mother, Marie Brown; father, Rev. Gilbert Clark; aunt, Margaret Brown. He is preceded in death by uncle, Charles Brown, his grandmother, Mary “Nana” Hansley; grandfather, James Edward Brown; great grandfathers, Jesse Jones (Margaret) and Olen Ballard. His memory will be cherished by a host of relatives and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2021 at
Memorial Church of God in Christ 747 Buck Lane Haverford, PA
Public Visitation: 9:00 am – 10:00 am Private Family Service at 10:30 am
The interment will conclude privately.
Due to the Pandemic, streaming services are being offered :
Go to www.cwoodfh.com . Click the third box under Charles' picture Click "watch Webcast:"
The Live Stream Service will begin at: 10:30 a.m.
We request family and friends who prefer to send plants or flowers, to coordinate with one of the following reliable local florists:..
Have the florist deliver your selection to the church no later than 8:30 a.m. the day of the service.
DUE TO A GLITCH IN OUR SYSTEM PLEASE DISREGARD THE FOLLOWING NOTATION REGARDING ANY ORDERS INCLUDING FLOWERS, CANDLES OR MEMORIAL TREE PLANTINGS WITH THE TRIBUTE STORE!!!! THANK YOU!!
